I wouldn't have it any other way.

You're trying to repeat everything. It's amazing. It's awesome to me to see you making all of these opinions and see this new personality coming through.

Netflix has a bunch of Disney movies now, which I love. We spent WEEKS watching the 4 Tinkerbell movies in a cycle. You couldn't get enough of those pixies. Those movies switched something on in you. You started mimicking the fairies mannerisms and even started saying lines from the movie as they were happening.

With every year that passes I'm more amazed by you. I suppose that's the best part of being here; being your mom. I get to see the world in new an amazing ways. I get to watch you become less of a part of me and yet still see so much of myself in you.

I appreciate all of the work I've been doing with you and for you. Although sometimes it's frustrating when we hit a barrier, getting over those obstacles is more than awesome. I have to remind myself when I get frustrated that we can't understand each other that you really have come SO FAR! You can't tell us what you want all of the time, but we can figure it out about 50% of the time.

All of these struggles and victories make me so grateful for you, so thankful for all of the people who have helped us get to this point.

6 months is really 5

Tomorrow morning we have our 6 month meeting with Ms Mary and Ms Carrie to talk about how everything is going and to write up a new Family Service Plan. I kept saying that I couldn't believe it's been 6mos and then I realized, it hasn't been. There was about a month lapse between when we had your evaluation and when we were actually assigned to an agency. Rules are rules though, so a 6 month meeting it is.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, you've made A LOT of progress since May, but I have no idea where you are in realtionship to where your vocabulary and communication "should" be. I worry about things like services stopping, that gets me very nervous. I've seen a whole new you now that you can tell me more about the world around you and I love it. I don't want that to stop.

Let's not think about all of the things that make me crazy, let's talk about all the new and awesome you say.


Airplane
All Gone
Bounce
Box
Car
Cool
Duck
Get Him
Good Job
Got You
It's stuck
Jump
Hand
Head
Help
Hey
Mine
Oh no
Ok
Pig
Please
Pull
Pumpkin
Rock
Sorry
See You [Later]
Slide
Sun
Train
Wait
Water
Whoa
Where did it go


All of that adds up to super amazing as far as I'm concerned. With the help of Ms Mary and me CONSTATNLY talking to you, your vocabulary has more than doubled. Let's keep this crazyness up.

22 Months

Never did I ever imagine how your imitation of my speech could impact me.

Today was a big day for you. You said "doggie," hissed like snake and tried to repeat a WHOLE phrase!

We went to the zoo for their members only night. You were SO EXCITED to go. We went right for the train because the line for that tends to get very long. Your excitement tapered off when I tried to sit you across from me rather than on my lap. You spent the entire ride saying "weee" and "wow," which I've come to expect; when we got off I said "Say thanks for the ride!" To which you replied, "Say fo da diiiiie." I wanted to scream and cry, I was so happy!

I feel like I'm watching you roll over again for the first time.

Holding my breath, every muscle in my body tight with anticipation- waiting. Excited doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about your progress. It's amazing to me to think that not even three months ago I could only make out 10 words and phrases. When I ask you to get in to your seat or even spit out a crayon- you do it! Three months ago you would have just gone on with whatever it was you were doing, as if I hadn't even said anything.

You're understanding me and I'm understanding you.

Awesome doesn't even come close.

Holy Crap.

You counted with me.

When you were just figuring out the whole talking thing you'd babble along with the appropriate cadence when they'd count on Sesame Street. Today while we were reading a book you actually said: three, four, six, seven, eight and ten. I was bamboozled! So daddy and I counted again- and you did it AGAIN!

Keep up the good work lady! Daddy and I rooting for you!

Meeeee-ow

For the FIRST TIME EVER you responded with the correct animal noise when I showed you an animal and asked "What's this?"

: D

Your Words and Phrases, 5/13

I wanted to make a list of all of the words you have BEFORE therapy starts. I figure this is an easy way for anyone playing along at home to watch your progress. There are a few words, that I can't currently think of, that you've only said once or twice. For the purposes of this list, and my failing brain, those words will not count.


All done [ah duuh]
Again [a din]
Ball [baa]
Balloon [boon]
Book [boou]
Bubble [buuhbaa]
Bye
Cat [ka]
Cookie [ko]
Lights [ices]
Hi
High Five [aye-ya]
Hug [ugg-a]
More [moo]
No
Open [op]
Peek-a-boo [ah boo]
This [dis, a dis]
Uh oh
Up
Yes [yus or iss]


Now this is where it's going to get a little silly. There are things that you say that sound like gibberish to the rest of the world- I've learned that some of it actually means something.


Chicken Nugget [a mick]
French Fry [ko-da]
Grape [jick jick]
Oscar, the Grouch [as-kiz]
Ready to go [bee a teak gooo]
Snack [ja duck ja duck]

Busy, busy!

Things are going to be a little crazy this week and I'm terribly sorry about that.

Monday is your first day of Speech Therapy. Ms Mary is going to come with some toys and a lot of questions. I'm hoping that you two get along and we can start understnading each other. I'm not sure what exactly to call all of these things I'm feeling.

I'm so excited to finally be able to hear what you have to say.
I'm nervous that all of the work is going to tire both of us out.
I'm worried that you won't like the therapist.
I'm terrified that it's not going to work.

I'm trying to keep my head clear of the later two for the time being. There's no way for me to know and there's nothing I can do to prevent either of those things right now- or possibly ever.

If you promise not to go crazy, I promise I won't go crazy either. : )

Early Intervention

I've been avoiding this. I don't want you to think that there's something wrong with you. I don't like the social stigmas that come with that kind of statement. You and I were both getting frustrated, I couldn't understand what you were trying to tell me and I could tell that you had something you felt you needed to tell me.

This morning Ms Jackie and Ms Julie brought two fantastic bags of tricks and toys. You got right down to business playing with them and exploring everything they had in their bags. We found out that you have done very nicely developing your motor skills- you're 10mos ahead of where you should be! We also learned that some of what I had suspected was right, your speech and communication is about 10mos behind.

At 19mos old your vocabulary sounds more like a 9-12mos old. Hearing that crushed me. I didn't know that most of what I was counting as part of your word base were what are referred to as declaratives or exclamations. Things like "uh oh," "no," "what's that," don't count as words on the evaluation. I was pretty sure that I was going to cry when I heard where they placed your speech.

I keep reminding myself that now:
1. You're going to get the help you need.
2. You're young enough that the delay shouldn't be apparent by the time you're in kindergarten.
3. I did what I was supposed to.

I'm having a really hard time not feeling guilty or upset about this. Logically, I know that your hearing was affected because you had ear infections which kept fluid in your ears. You had a hearing screening and birth but you didn't have another hearing test for the next 15mos. There is no way for anyone to accurately gauge when your hearing was affected, all we can do now is help you.

So that's what we're doing.